When we wake up each morning, a vast majority of us go about our daily lives obeying the laws of our community, and we expect the same from our neighbors and from those who are in our country as visitors.
Wouldn’t it be nice if our government conducted itself in this same manner, and committed itself to the proper application of our laws? Should we expect any less from our government as it expects from us as citizens? The answer should be simple, but one only need to look at the policy of sanctuary cities to understand simple is a relative term for some, such as U.S. Senate candidate Maggie Hassan.
Senate Democrats recently blocked common sense legislation that would have reaffirmed our nation’s existing immigration laws. Contrary to what some would falsely state, we have a pathway to citizenship. It may be “troublesome” for some, but that inconvenience is meant to serve as a safeguard. The Democratic leadership not only continues to demonstrate that it is the leading reason our immigration policies “are broken,” but it also sides against reasonable enforcement. On the wrong side of this vote was Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, and on the right side was Sen. Kelly Ayotte, essentially canceling each other out. However, the results could have been different if current Gov. Hassan was serving in the Senate.
Hassan describes herself as bipartisan, when in fact she is a partisan wolf in sheep’s clothing. Her handling of this year’s budget forced an unnecessary delay, and her past demonizing of like-minded Republicans during the expanded Medicaid debate exposed her true nature. On illegal immigration, Hassan has shown her allegiance is to leadership of the Democratic Party, not the citizens of the Granite State.
In 2008, then state Sen. Hassan had an opportunity to reaffirm a coherent approach to immigration enforcement by simply agreeing to support the understanding that “The state of New Hampshire and its political subdivisions shall not serve as a sanctuary for illegal aliens (Senate Bill 353).” It is bad enough that we have to pass legislation to reiterate the obvious, but the fact politicians such as Hassan chose party over New Hampshire citizens and the rule of law defies rational thought.
Politicians like Hassan have no problem reminding most Americans about policies they favor, yet are often inconsistent with the Constitution, and have been rejected by a large grouping of Americans. Hassan’s political allies love to throw out the phrase “law of the land” when it benefits their agenda, but do not like it when that bucket of cold water is thrown back at them. Illegal immigration is just one case in point in which Hassan is on the wrong side of the law. Candidate Hassan supports sanctuary policies, in violation of the Constitution, against the reasonable expectation of a majority of Americans, and at great peril to our communities.
What Hassan is in fact supporting is the release of 64,689 criminal aliens, who had over 166, 877 convictions, and more than 2,000 repeat felonious offenses in 2013-2014 (according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement). The media and supporters of sanctuary cities, like Hassan, do not want the American people to know the facts. The numbers are staggering. Criminal aliens account for 30,000 impaired driving arrests, 414 kidnappings, 11,301 rapes and 395 homicides. These are just crimes we know about that have been committed by criminal aliens who benefit from sanctuary indifference.
In supporting sanctuary policies, Hassan is supporting an undisciplined and dangerous dogma. Where is the tipping point, candidate Hassan? One life, two? How many rapes before we say enough is enough to this misguided belief that we are being compassionate? There are thousands of families that would beg to differ with that belief. The false veneer of compassion is of little consequence to the families of thousands of victims who have suffered because of foolish support of sanctuary policies; policies that candidate Hassan trumpets.
The choice is simple, either you stand for the rule of law, or as Hassan has done, you stand with the misguided and misinformed in protecting criminal aliens. Hassan and her allies look at criminal aliens as a protected class, turning a blind-eye to countless innocent victims. The tragic case of Kate Steinle, recently murdered in San Francisco, brought to bear the illogical support for sanctuary policies. What Hassan believes to be a position of compassion is in actuality an invitation to victimize law abiding citizens such as Kate Steinle.
Individuals such as candidate Hassan tear the engine out of the car and cut the brake lines, then have the audacity to look at the American people and blame them for the ensuing car wreck. Worse still, Hassan and her allies conveniently ignore their culpability in our failed immigration policies, choosing instead to accuse honest Americans of being vile and racist for merely suggesting we enforce our laws. The fact is, sanctuary cities are a direct violation of our standing immigration laws, as supported by the correct application of Article 6 – Clause 2 and Article 1 – Section 8 – Clause 4 of our Constitution. If there is any one area in which the Supremacy Clause might be best applied, it is immigration. That is not to say states and municipalities don’t have a role to play, but that role cannot be to disregard the federal government’s role in enforcing our immigration policies. Hassan, along with other public servants who have sworn to uphold the Constitution, are in direct violation of their oath of office when they support illegal sanctuary policies.
I am not vilifying the entire illegal immigrant population. Most are here because they have been reassured by the misguided efforts of politicians like Hassan who fail to see their policies do more harm than good. I also acknowledge some illegal immigrants are here because of the greed of an unethical business class determined to improve their profits rather than strengthen their communities. There are ways to deal with both issues, but we do not strengthen our communities by ignoring the law.
